Wednesday, May 29, 2013

GAINS: New retirement age wont' affect withdrawals

KUALA LUMPUR: EMPLOYEES Provident Fund (EPF) contributors will still be able to make partial and full withdrawals from their retirement funds at the ages of 50 and 55 despite the minimum retirement age being increased to 60 on July 1.

Newly appointed chief executive officer Datuk Shahril Ridza Ridzuan said the new minimum retirement age would be advantageous to its 13.6 million members.

"Our members will gain five additional years of contribution from themselves and employers. This will mean additional funds for them when they retire," Shahril said at the EPF headquarters here yesterday.

Despite the new retirement age, contributions for employees and employers will remain at 11 per cent and 12 per cent (13 per cent for those earning less than RM5,000) until the employee reaches 60.

The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) will conduct “Ops Kesan” to
trace companies that are not registered with the organisation.

Speaking
to reporters at a press conference here after launching the three-day
State-level, 2013 SOCSO Safety and Health Week programme at SOCSO office
yesterday, SOCSO Board Member, Catherine Jikunan said that officers
from the organisation will conduct random raids around the state to
trace companies that have yet to register with the body.

Disclosing
this, she said that operation Ops Kesan will be ongoing throughout the
year as there are many companies operating without being registered.

KUCHING: Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) hopes that the Pan-Borneo Highway will become a reality, particularly when Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof is from Sarawak.

And not only that, MTUC also expects that the highway, once completed, will be toll-free.

“With works minister from Sarawak, perhaps our Pan-Borneo Highway will become a reality and toll-free,” MTUC secretary Andrew Lo said in a statement yesterday.

Fadillah, who is Petra Jaya MP, was named as works minister by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his new cabinet on Wednesday.

On a related matter, Lo pointed out that the new cabinet had too many ministries, which he feared would only hamper efforts to make the civil service more efficient.

“Transformation must mean that we must be lean and mean and be efficient and productive,” Lo stressed.

In view of this, he suggested that the following 10 ministries be merged into five – Ministry of Transport to be merged with Works Ministry, Ministry of Communication and Multimedia with Science, Technology, Innovation and Green Technology, Ministry of Urban Well-Being and Ministry of Housing and Local Government with Federal Territories, Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities with Agriculture and Agro-based Industries, and Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water with Natural Resources and Environment.

“We are concerned that the government’s operating expenses is taking a large chunk of our annual budget,” Lo stressed, and pointed out that to promote efficient governance, Najib should not become the Finance Minister.

Lo also said that MTUC strongly hoped that the big increase in the number of ministers from Sarawak will translate into more development for the state.

On the appointment of Datuk Richard Riot Jaem as Minister of Human Resource, Lo hoped that it was a signal by Najib that human resources practices in the state, especially workers protection and Trade Unions rights, be enhanced to ensure that workers have an equitable share in the economic development of the state.

“We don’t want the plantation and the industries in Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) continue to be dominated by foreign workers,” Lo stressed.

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Members representing the Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI) are deeply saddened and angered by the most recent tragedy in the Bangladesh garment industry. Which, in our view, was the result of unmitigated greed, corruption, criminal negligence, and was entirely avoidable.

PRAI: THE Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) Penang division has urged the Human Resources Ministry to be more proactive in implementing the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

They want the ministry to be firm and act on those who violate or refuse to implement the Act.

MTUC claimed that at least three workers die daily in relation to health and safety at the work places, and this figure did not include commuter-related accidents.

MTUC also appealed to the government to take a serious view and pay funeral expenses subsidies to families of deceased workers irrespective of the circumstance of death.

In making the call, MTUC Penang division chairman S. Ravindran said only those who die during working hours or die in a road accident while commuting from their house to work and back were being paid.

"This should not be the case as payment for funeral expenses should be a 24-hour coverage and the family of the deceased should be entitled to the payment," he said at the MTUC Penang Division Workers Memorial Day event recently.

Ravindran said the dead worker's family was entitled to the payment as the worker and his employer had been contributing to Socso which is under the preview of the Human Resources Ministry.

"We call upon Human Resources Minister to address the issue immediately and amend the Act so that families of the deceased can receive the one-off payment.

"MTUC Penang also urges the government to implement Acts and rules that are favourable to the workers, who are the pillars of development in the country.

"We also appeal to the government to review the Social Security Act which is more favourable to the employers," he said.

Ravindran, who is also the Penang Municipal Services Union president, said the Act's real intention was to act as a security for the workers, but the countless amendments to the Act over the years has resulted in workers losing out on benefits.

He cited an example: workers who go for Friday prayers were not covered as the Act strictly stipulates commuting accidents only covered a worker from his house to the work place and back, and that too within the stipulated time with no diversions allowed.

He said this ruling was unfair as workers would at times need to fuel up at petrol stations or go to shops or markers to make purchases.

About 1,000 people from the private and public sectors and management representatives participated in the memorial day ceremony held at the memorial monument near the Penang Bridge toll gate in Prai recently.

The memorial monument was constructed by contractors who build the Penang Bridge in memory of the more than 30 workers who had died during its construction.

Subra's bid to counter Nube courts more problemsJOHOR BN’s attempt to counter National Union of Bank Employees’s (Nube) picket in Segamat, against caretaker human resources minister S Subramaniam, by putting up a billboard of several unions expressing thanks to him ended up courting even more problems.The Sabah Bank Employees Union (SBEU) said it was shocked to learn that its name had been used for Subramaniam's campaign, who is BN's incumbent and candidate for Segamat.

"We are a trade union movement that is not aligned to any political party, therefore we were shocked to learn that our name had been used for campaigning in West Malaysia.

"We deny alignment to any political party and our objective is to serve the workers, not any politicians," said SBEU secretary-general Catherine Jikunan when contacted.

She added the union hopes its name can be removed from the billboard as it did not consent to it.

The billboard, located on the main road of Segamat town, bore an image of Subramaniam with the words "Thank you Datuk Seri S Subramaniam who is concerned for the workers".This is followed by a list of union names, that among others include the National Union of Teaching Profession, All Malayan Estates Staff Union, Printing Industry Employees Union, National Union of Petrolem and Chemical Industry Workers.

Nube had accused Subramaniam of being anti-union - an allegation the caretaker minister vehemently denies - and has vowed to unseat him in Segamat by planning a three-day picket in his constituency.

However, Nube was only able to picket for two days beginning May 1, each of which faced counter-protest from BN supporters.

It was eventually called off after police hauled them up and expressed concern that it may lead to tension.'Report lodged over attempted assault'

In a related development, Nube deputy secretary-general A Karuna said she had lodged a police report against a man she alleged attempted to lunge at her during the picket (below).

"He lunged at me while I was picketing and said to me in Tamil that he will slap me hard," her police report reads.In another matter, Nube secretary-general J Solomon hit out at deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar for suggesting that their picket had political motives, adding that it was only targeting Subramaniam due to his track record with the unions.

"The allegation has no intelligent basis. In fact, the only politically-motivated gathering is the illegal demonstration conducted most rowdily by Subramaniam's supporters.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Najib now has a tricky path to negotiate. — Reuters picMAY 6 — As a fragmented Malaysia emerged this morning in the wake of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) slim victory in Election 2013, Datuk Seri Najib Razak identified the biggest challenge he faces — national reconciliation in a country divided.

But an analysis of how the vote went shows a country with rural-urban and class divisions that will make any reconciliation and necessary reforms even more difficult to implement.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

SUBANG JAYA: Workers and leaders alike stood together to voice their concerns over the increasing cost of living and long working hours as well as to demand more rights for the workforce to mark Labour Day.

Representatives and members from 21 unions who joined a Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) rally here yesterday also supported the minimum wage policy and reducing the number of foreign contract workers.

They gathered with their families outside Wisma MTUC from as early as 8am, sporting red union caps and chanting “Hidup Pekerja (Long Live Workers)”.

Despite the gloomy weather, there was an air of camaraderie while they shared breakfast and won prizes for the biggest contingents and most creative Labour Day themed banners.

While the mood was light, they made serious demands on issues affecting their everyday life.

MTUC secretary-general N. Gopal said despite some progress made by the Government in addressing labour issues, there were many problems still plaguing the work force.

“Among issues faced by Malaysian workers are employers postponing the implementation of the minimum wage policy and the prevalence of contract workers, who are usually foreigners.

“We are not against foreign workers, it's just that employers favour them because they work for lower salaries, making it harder for nationals to find employment,” he said.

Inventory controller Kamarul Ariffin, 43, said that as a Klang Valley resident, the cost of living was his biggest worry.

“Prices keep going up while I work long hours for the same salary. This is something that I feel should be addressed,” he said.

Timber Employees Union of Peninsular Malaysia leader Amutha Verayya, 33, said she and her colleagues were waiting for their salaries to be upgraded following the implementation of the minimum wage policy.

“It's been five months. When we ask our employers, they only tell us to wait,” she said.

Meanwhile, members of the Nepalese Migrant Workers Association, who also took part in the rally, called for better treatment and extensive welfare coverage for foreign workers in Malaysia.

“Our people here are not given insurance coverage and are not taken care of properly, leading to injuries at the workplace and other health complications,“ said association coordinator Bedkumar Khatiwada.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is sending a high-level mission to Bangladesh following the collapse of a building housing textile factories last week.

According to reports, more than 380 people died in the disaster at the Rana Plaza building where workers produce garments.

The ILO's Deputy Director-General for Field Operations, Gilbert Houngbo, will lead the mission to Bangladesh.

He says it's important for the agency to express its sympathy with the workers and people of Bangladesh after this disaster.

"Secondly it's important because this is squarely in the ILO's mandate. We need to work and discuss with the authorities, with the employers, with the workers but with concrete actions that we can put together to minimize the risks from happening. We know the problem. We have already been working with all the government and authorities in Bangladesh on those occupational safety and health issues." (24")

The ILO delegation is scheduled to be in Bangladesh from 1 to 4 May to meet with officials and visit the site of the Rana Plaza building collapse.

Mr. Houngbo is also expected to visit a hospital to see the injured workers.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Looking at the medium-term, the forecast global economic recovery is not expected to be strong enough to bring down unemployment quickly, and the number of jobseekers is expected to rise to more than 210 million over the next five years.

The labour market situation remains particularly bleak for the world’s youth, with almost 74 million people in the 15 to 24 age group unemployed around the world – a 12.6 per cent youth unemployment rate.

KUCHING, April 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) Sarawak wants the over one million workers in Sarawak to vote for the political party and candidates who are willing to place the interest of workers and their families first in the 13th General Election (GE13), on Sunday.

MTUC Sarawak secretary Andrew Lon said it wanted to work with the government and any political party to ensure that economic and development policies benefited Sarawakian workers as well.

"We must elect effective, performing and clean parliamentarians and ministers that really care about the country and ready to implement long term and sustainable social and economic policies," he said in a statement in conjunction with Labour Day 2013.

He said workers from rural areas were the ones who needed the most protection and it was very disappointing that many elected rural representatives had not done enough.

MTUC Sarawak wants to ensure that every Sarawakian had a meaningful share in the state's vast resources and its workers not short changed anymore, besides eliminating corruption and corrupt practices because that is the only way to ensure government policies were implemented in a transparent and fair manner.

MTUC does not want local jobs to be diminished and given to three million foreign workers, which caused tens of thousands of Sarawakians having to leave their families to work in Singapore, Johore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

GE13: Vote for parties with welfare of workers at heart, says MTUC

KUCHING: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) is urging workers in the state to vote for the political party and candi- dates who are willing to put the interest of workers and their families first.

In a press statement signed by MTUC secretary Andrew Lo yesterday, the union wants to work with the Government and any political party to ensure that economic and development policies benefit Sarawakian workers as well.

“Finally after 50 years, minimum wage (MW) was implemented,” read the statement.

“MTUC strongly believes that minimum wage and higher wages will lead to better economic growth and subsequently more business for companies, which in turn will spur them to increase productivity.

“However, employers are continuing their campaign to get MW deferred, resorting to bullying tactics and fear mongering as well as emotional sensationalism.

“Do not vote for political parties and candidates that have not embraced this policy and have worked hand in hand with employers to defer the implementation,” it reiterated.

It also stated that it did not want any handouts, saying: “It is sad that more than 4.2 million Malaysians live in households that earn less than RM3,000 a month and qualify for the RM500 handout.

“Something must be wrong with the economic policy if after 50 years of independence we still need such handouts. Decent jobs with decent pay will eliminate the need for such handouts.”

“We must elect effective, performing and clean parliamenta- rians and ministers that really care about the country who are ready to implement long term and sustainable social and economic policies.

“We want to ensure that every Sarawakian has a meaningful share in our state’s vast resources. We, the workers, cannot be short-changed anymore. Ignore us at your own risk,” the union warned.